For any of you who saw the message from before, false alarm. Apparently my parents were totally and completely overreacting when they told me what was going on. My sister is fine, but pissed off for reasons I dare not speak of.
So, here comes dundundun…Chapter 5, the longest chapter written so far.
The next morning, Elphaba and Galinda were summoned by Madame Morrible. Ama Clutch, who had been in the hospital for about a few weeks already, was fading away. Madame Morrible wouldn't let them visit her because 'it would be too terrible for girls this age to see a loved one in such a state'. Elphaba thought it was complete bullshit. She had a theory about who, or what rather, had murdered Doctor Dillamond. She believed that it was Grommetik, Madame Morribles ticktock 'assistant'. Madame Morrible had a motive. She didn't like the Animals to begin with. Ever since she became the Headmistress, the Animal professors, and even groundskeepers, were slowly disappearing. They were said to have been offered jobs elsewhere, or resigned suddenly. Doctor Dillamond seemed to be the last one there.
Nanny and Nessarose accompanied the roomies to the Hospital Wing, where they met Morrible. They entered Ama Clutch's room. Galinda rushed over to her side.
"You must know, that the night Dr. Dillamond was murdered, Ama Clutch found him. It is my professional opinion that she relapsed into her ailment from shock." Madam Morrible said in a superior tone.
Elphaba turned on her. "Professional opinion? Who died and made you doctor?"
"Elphaba!" said Nessarose, astonished. Nanny glared.
"Stop it!" Galinda sobbed. "This is no time to bicker. This is all my fault!"
Ama Clutch looked around aimlessly. "Why hello there!"
"Ama Clutch?" Galinda said hopefully. "It's me! Galinda! I'm sorr—"
Ama Clutch ignored her a picked up a spork. "What's you're name, duckie?" She paused for a moment, as if waiting for an answer from the utensil. "Why that's a nice name, Glinda. Pleased to meet you. Now what brings you here to Gillikin?" She paused again. "Oh, yes… this is a nice place to vacation…"
Galinda couldn't take it anymore. She began sobbing uncontrollably. Elphaba looked at Madame Morrible.
"Do you mind? We're trying to say goodbye here."
"I will stay with you to help you through this difficult moment." Morrible said determinedly. She put her hands on her hips, daring somebody to make her leave.
Elphaba and Nanny stood up simultaneously, each taking one of Morrible's arms and forcing her out the door.
"That's very kind of you, but I'll take it from here" Nanny said angrily and she locked the door from the inside.
They turned back to Ama Clutch. She had stopped conversing with the spork and sat there seemingly surveying the scene around her. Galinda took her hands.
"Hang on, Ama. I'm not going to let you die like this." She said, getting control over her tears. She began chanting. Elphaba watched intently. The words sounded almost lyrical. She took hold of Galinda's shoulder, closed her eyes and began chanting along with her. She had no idea what she was saying, or what it would do, but she trusted Galinda to make it work.
Nessarose and Nanny stood in complete silence, stunned at the scene before them. Ama Clutch began to thrash about wildly. Nessa looked like she was on the verge of tears and suddenly began shrieking that magic was unholy and evil. Ama Clutch stopped thrashing and Elphaba and Galinda ended the chant.
"What did you do?" Elphaba asked Galinda, staring nervously at the unmoving nurse.
"I think you mean what did we do, and it was a Lucidity spell." Galinda answered distantly.
Elphaba kept staring at Ama Clutch. We? She asked her self. I can't do magic.
Suddenly, Ama Clutch sat straight up and gasped for air. Everyone jumped in surprise.
"Ama Clutch!" Galinda cried happily. Ama Clutch looked at her.
"So, I'm still alive then. Good, because there are some things I have to say before the Wind comes." She said clearly and urgently.
"Ama Clutch this is all my fault!" Galinda shrieked.
"Shut up, Galinda. Let the woman talk!" Elphaba snapped. She nodded her head for Ama Clutch to continue.
"That night when Doctor Dillamond died" She began hastily. "It wasn't an –" Her voice seemed to cut off. She struggled to continue. "It—wasn't –accident" She strained. Her face began to turn red. " Morrible—ticktock—Animals—gone!" She was on the verge of purple now, sweat pouring down her face. "Don't—get—pulled—by—the—Wind" She gasped. She looked to Galinda, eyes wide. "Not—your fault—Glinda! Good—bye" With that, she collapsed on the bed, dead.
Galinda went into hysterics. Elphaba awkwardly put an arm around her, in an attempt to comfort her. Nanny let them out of the room where Morrible was waiting for them.
"She's gone." Nanny said.
Morrible nodded. "I would like to see Nessarose, Elphaba and Galinda in my office at four."
Nanny waved her comment away and continued to lead the three girls down out of the hospital. They went straight to the dorm room and each went to mourn in their own way. Galinda went right to her bed and cried into her pillow. Elphaba went to her's as well and took out a book, pretending to read it, looking out the window once in a while. Nessarose, who didn't know Ama Clutch very well, decided that saying a few prayers would be appropriate. Nanny sat in a chair and began to mend clothing.
This continued until they had to go meet the Headmistress. Everybody was silent as they made their way to the main building. Except for Nanny. She tried to lighten the mood by talking about the weather. It was rather ironic really. A beautiful sunny day, one of the most beautiful of the season, contrasted the gloomy air the girls had about them. When they entered the building, Elphaba whispered to Galinda, Nessa, and Nanny.
"Don't tell Horrible Morrible about what Ama Clutch said about the murder"
The three nodded in agreement. It would have been foolish to reveal that they knew such information to one of the most powerful sorceresses in Oz. After a moment, Nanny knocked on a large wooden door adorning a plaque: Madame Elda Morrible, Headmistress. Almost immediately Grommetik opened the door. Morrible was sitting at her desk. She looked up at them expectantly.
"Welcome to my office. Now, Nanny, if you would excuse us for a few moments."
"But Nessa—"
"I'm quite sure that her sister can take care of her" Morrible said, cutting her off. She looked at Nanny threateningly. Nanny looked at Morrible as if she were about to attack her, but skulked out of the room, fussing about how a hostess is supposed to act. Once she was gone, Grommetik followed her out and shut the door.
"Now, girls. I would like to start off by saying how terribly I feel about your loss." She said with mock sympathy. "But, I wonder… in her ravings, did she say anything about the death of our dearly departed Goat Professor?" She spat the words as if they burnt her tongue.
Elphaba answered. "No. She was raving to the end" She said. Her voice was steady, but her eyes seemed to shoot daggers and the Head.
"As I figured." Morrible said, bored. "After seeing a sight like what she saw, it would only be natural to recess to her prior madness."
Galinda couldn't take it anymore. She didn't cry though. "My Ama Clutch never had a previous ailment of any sort." She said thickly. "I made the entire thing up. She didn't even know what I did."
Elphaba thought that she saw Morrible's guard break. She was about to smile at Galinda's thinking, but didn't have the chance.
"Well then Miss Galinda, it seems that your power in sorcery is only being proved by this act of prophecy, or perhaps, spell casting."
"It's Glinda now." She said. Elphaba and Nessarose looked at her. She gave them an I'll-explain-later look.
Morrible just shrugged it off. "Well then, moving onward. I didn't gather you three here today to express sympathy for your maid's death. But first, I feel obligated to warn you, all three of you are now under a binding oath. There's no turning back now. Few people are strong enough to break it." She looked at Elphaba. "Which brings to my next point. All three of you have a special strength. A power, if you will. These powers are vital in the future of Oz, which is why our wonderful Wizard has his eye on you three.
"Obviously, he can't be everywhere at once, so he requires your assistance in keeping Oz in line. You three… for lack of a better word, Adepts, hold the key. Galinda, of the North, Gillikin. Elphaba, the Thropp Third Descending of Munchkinland. And Nessa" She said with a kind of cruel sympathy. "Of the South, Quadling Country.
"Three intelligent, powerful girls watching over three parts of Oz for the Wizard. An honor for anybody."
Elphaba felt like she was about to explode with anger and frustration. The 'wonderful' Wizard was slowly deteriorating the once united Oz. She would rather die than help him. All of a sudden, a purplish fire seemed to emanate from Elphaba's body. It shot around the room, destroying things. All feelings of anger became fear. Not of Morrible, but of herself. The purple fire disappeared as suddenly and it had come. Everybody stared at her. Galinda was shocked. Nessarose, on the other hand, nearly fainted.
Madame Morrible sighed. "Now, Elphaba, was that necessary? You've made a mess. You've once again proved your strong individuality and courage. Another reason you are so valuable, and quite possibly dangerous, to the Wizard." She doesn't know the half of it, thought Elphaba, her anger returning.
Madame Morrible continued. "Now, as for you Nessa, a girl who has been deprived of independence and glory since birth, you will have power. You have the opportunity to rule. You'll be above so many people. Can you tell anyone, honestly, that this isn't something that you want?" She paused for a moment, as if waiting for an answer. Nessa was shaking with fear. She didn't like the Headmistress's tone. She admitted that power did sound appealing, but her humble religious nature grounded her. She was happy with her life now.
"Speechless." Madame Morrible said pointedly. "As I thought she might be." She turned to face Galinda—no Glinda.
"And now for Miss Gali—oh, it's Glinda now, isn't it?" A cold feeling shot down Glinda's spine when Morrible looked at her. A mixture of fear and resentment marked her face clearly.
"You," Horrible Morrible started "already seem to have a grasp for leadership and popularity. As long as you do what you do best in the interest of the Wizard, you can just bask in that limelight. People will celebrate you, praise you, worship you even." She stopped to look at Glinda's expression. It surprisingly hadn't changed. She had expected an odd light of girlish excitement to fill her eyes, but it didn't come. She went on anyway.
"With you three watching over the main provinces of Oz, we will surely have a safer, united place to live. The Wizard is sure of it. I know that these ideas are probably filling your little heads to quickly, so I'll let you think it over. You will choose your paths from there. Though it might prove… unfortunate if you choose a different course." She said, stressing the word 'unfortunate'. Was that a threat? Elphaba asked herself. She looked over at Nessa and Glinda, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"And a warning. Especially to you, Miss Elphaba. The binding spell keeps you from speaking about this conversation, even within yourselves. The funeral will be next Saturday for Ama Clutch, and you will be excused from classes, if you'd like, for the next few days to… pay your respects. You are dismissed."
A stuffy feeling seemed to lift from the room as she said the last words. Perhaps it was the binding spell? In any case, the three girls left silently. Before shutting the door behind her, Elphaba shot Madame Morrible a look and flicked her off. Childish, but appropriate, she said to herself.
They met Nanny outside of the building. She had been pacing back and forth. When she saw them, she ran towards them.
"How's my Nessa? What did that old Carp say to you? Are you all in good health?"
Elphaba answered instantly. "Nessa's fine. Morrible told us that the funeral's Saturday, and we're all perfectly healthy." Her hand went to her mouth. Where did that come from? She was going to tell Nanny that Morrible was threatening them and that Nessa was probably emotionally scarred for life. She looked at the other two girls, confused.
"We're not fine" Glinda tried. The words came out differently. She found herself saying "Yes, everything's fine here" Nessa didn't even try. She figured out what was going on. She just began to cry silent tears.
"Let's go home." Elphaba suggested. She would try to figure this out then. Not in public with everybody staring at her. When they arrived in the dorm, Glinda stopped Elphaba.
"What was with the fire?" She asked, referring back to what happened in Morrible's office.
"It happens sometimes. When I get really angry, or sad. I usually have control over it though" She said, not wanting to talk about it.
"That's powerful magic" Glinda said in awe. "You should be taking sorcery."
Elphaba shrugged. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Being green was threatening enough for most people. Magic would just scare them more.
"So, Glinda? Why the name change?"
"Doctor Dillamond called me Glinda, and Ama Clutch called me Glinda before she… passed on." She said quietly. "I guess I just wanted to remember them somhow. It's stupid isn't it?"
Elphaba looked at her curiously. It was actually an interesting concept. Changing her name would remember them forever, unlike any prayer or something like that. "No." She said. "It's very…I don't know… It's nice."
Nessa had gone to her room. Probably to pray again. Glinda was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, no doubt vainly blaming herself for everything that had happened.
"I'm going for a walk" Elphaba announced. She pulled the old book from under her pillow and walked out the door. She walked down a beaten dirt path to a tight cluster of trees. She walked off of the path and made her way through the dark woods. Hmm… she thought. Maybe I should come here more often to think. It's quiet.
She stopped under a large willow tree and sat down. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She looked deep inside herself, trying to locate Morrible's spell inside her. She knew it was there. She could feel it, like a void in her mind. Soon she was in a deep trance. She saw the cursed magic that ran through her veins. Purple fire. She looked for a disturbance. No, she felt for it. In the back of her mind, she could see a disgusting, brown colored magic that wrapped itself around her mind. She thought for a moment. How could she get the foreign magic out of her? Could she break it with her own magic? It she broke the spell on her, would she break the one on the others? She furrowed her brow concentrating more. She didn't know how to use spells, but she knew how to direct her magic. It was a skill that she learned when she was young, so that she wouldn't reveal her other little quirk. She breathed in deep. She located the foreign magic again. Slowly, she gathered her own magic into a ball in her head. When she thought she had enough, she forced it at the brown mass, trying to break it apart. She tried again and again. Sweat was pouring down her face. With a final attempt, she screamed, shoving her magic into the mass as hard as she could. She fainted.
Down the beaten path, Fiyero heard a scream. It was a girl. He ran towards the sound and into a small stretch of woods. There, he saw a black clothed mass through the hanging tendrils of a towering willow tree. He pushed his way through the vine-like branches and knelt beside the person. He pulled her up into a sitting position. Black hair covered the face of the girl. He looked around to see if an attacker was anywhere before pushing the long hair aside. He saw green skin, glistening with sweat. She was breathing.
"Elphaba! Are you okay?" He called to her, hoping for a response. None came. He looked at her face. The usually determined and serious look was gone. He didn't see the Elphaba he knew. He saw a helpless young girl. It scared him and exhilarated him. He wanted to keep looking at her, but his serious side took over. He picked her up gently. She was light, he noticed. Good thing. I'll be able to move faster.
He carried her quickly out of the clearing and onto the path toward the campus. It was getting dark. Where do I take her? Morrible? No… I don't like her. The hospital? No… Morrible will show up. He decided to take her to her dorm and let their caretaker decide. He remembered that she lived with Galinda. Boq was always going on about her, how beautiful she was, how nice she was, and everything else. Including where she lived. Boq's stalker-like tendancies finally come to some use. He turned into Crage Hall and ran to their dorm. He rearranged Elphaba to knock on the door. Moments later, Glinda answered. She saw Elphaba and went crazy.
"What happened? Did you do this to her? Where was she?" Glinda cried. Fiyero pushed past her as gently as he could.
"Which bed is hers?" He asked ignoring her questions for the time being. Glinda pointed and ran to go get Nanny. Fiyero set her down carefully and looked at her. She looked so fragile, like she would break if anyone touched her. He tenderly brushed the hair out her her face.
Nanny ran into the room, with Nessa and Glinda following her. She pushed Fiyero out of the way.
"Galinda?"
"Glinda!"
"Whoever!" Nanny yelled. "Just get some water on a cloth." Nessa stared at her as if she were insane.
"Nanny! You know she has an intolerance! It hurts her!"
Fiyero stared at them, more confused by the second.
"I know perfectly well! The sensation may bring her back though." She looked at Fiyero. "What happened to her?"
"I—I don't know. I heard her scream and ran over." He said, dazed. "She was in the woods."
Nanny looked at his suspicious. "So you had nothing to do with this?"
"NO! Of course not! Elphaba's my…" He thought for a moment. Where they friends yet? After all, they'd only met once. "Friend." He finished. He wanted to be her friend. He liked her.
"Very well." Nanny took the damp cloth from Glinda, who had just come back into the room. She pressed the cloth gently on Elphaba's forehead. Elphaba flinched. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to swat the cloth away. She opened her eyes. Nanny took the cloth away.
"What just happened?" She demanded, regaining her serious looks. Her head ached.
"We were hoping you could tell us that." Nanny said with her hands on her hips. "He—" She said motioning to Fiyero "Said you were in the woods and you screamed, and he found you out cold."
She looked off distantly, taking in the information. Slowly, memories were coming back to her.
"The spell!" She said, almost excitedly. "Morrible's spell!"
"Wait…" Glinda interrupted. "How did you say that?"
"I broke it!" She said completely satisfied.
"Ours too?" Nessa asked, light filling her eyes. Elphaba shrugged.
"Try it." Fiyero was even more confused, if that was possible. Nanny joined him in his confusion.
"Morrible is an evil prick who threatens young girls into choosing their futures." Glinda said happily.
Nessa smiled. Normally she would scold people for disrespecting their elders, but she was slowly growing out of her church mouse/ preacher tendancies.
"Would anyone mind telling us what's going on?" Nanny intruded, clearly annoyed that the girls knew something she didn't.
Elphaba answered. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a silencing spell from Morrible that I broke."
Nanny rolled her eyes. "Well, that explains everything, doesn't it? Anyway, I believe you owe this young man a thank you."
She looked at Fiyero. Her heart stopped for a moment and she was lost for words. Her mouth was half open, like she was about to say something. It was like she was frozen.
"It's alright. Really." Fiyero said looking at Nanny. He glanced at Elphaba, who was still frozen. "I'd better go. You should get some rest."
Elphaba nodded, unable to find any words. She thought about how stupid she looked with her mouth hanging open like that.
He turned back to Nanny. "Do you mind if I come by tomorrow and see how she's doing?"
Nanny nodded and waved him away. He left quietly, stealing another glance at Elphaba, who was protesting against Nanny checking her all over to see if she was hurt. He smiled for a moment and began walking to his dorm.
Glinda, back in the room, sat on her bed thinking. She noticed Elphaba's strange…un-Elphaba reaction to Fiyero. Ideas bubbled beneath her blonde hair, almost forcing out the day's terrible events. She looked over at Elphaba and smiled a secret smile. It was time to play Glinda's favorite game:
Matchmaker.
I would just like to say that i LOVE my reviewers. You're awesome. Yeah, i don't think i'm going to bother saying it now. you know the drill.